5 Ways to Find More Sheds This Year

5 min readJan 18, 2016

Shed Hunting 101

Shed hunting has risen in popularity over the past few years, and for great reason. Not only is it a great way to extend the enjoyment of the Whitetail Season after it closes, but there are other benefits as well. A found antler might alert you to a new deer in the area, or unlock a clue to helping you kill the one you were already after. Shed hunting is also a great way to enjoy time with friends and family and helps keep us in shape at a time when little else is going on. More than anything, it really is fun….if you know where to start. I usually begin my search in late February/early March, as I estimate 75% of the deer have lost their antlers by then. Once you begin looking, here are 5 tips to help you zero in on more antlers.

Food

It should be obvious, but your highest chance of finding shed antlers are to search where deer (bucks) are spending most of their time. In the states that experience extremely cold temperatures during the winter, deer will gravitate toward areas with ample food. This is more pronounced in years with snow cover and works to your advantage to concentrate the deer in an area where they will be spending a majority of their time. Its worth noting too that when the deer are actually up moving around, the antler has more of a chance to work loose. Even in the late season right up until they shed, bucks will still lightly spar, and when they congregate in a field of food and does, its a good opportunity for them to knock an antler loose.

I recommend starting your shed hunting efforts in any food sources you can find. Even in years without snow, major food sources will concentrate the deer. However, it isn’t as pronounced because the deer can be up on their feet browsing just about anywhere.

Standing soybean fields top the list because of their extreme drawing power during the cold and the ease of spotting the antlers with or without snow. Corn fields are a great draw too, but are challenging to spot antlers in without combing them over really well.

Travel Routes

After locating the food sources and scouring them over, the next way to improve your shed finding odds is to concentrate on trails leading out of the food sources. Typically, the deer are going to conserve energy where they can, and will bed relatively close to food when it turns bitter cold. Walk each trail leading back to bedding areas, looking for sheds along the way. Also take note as you go of any pinch points or trail intersections you come across. You never know when you might stumble across a good stand site.

Bedding Areas

Once you’ve followed the travel route back into the cover, begin looking for south facing slopes that are exposed to sunlight. When it turns cold, the deer will bed on these slopes roughly 1/4 down from the top. This allows them to stay out of the cold North winds while still taking advantage of the direct sunlight. Don’t overlook thick cedar pockets though, as these areas provide shelter when the winds pick up. When you find areas like this, look for large beds and concentrations of rubs, and you’re likely in a Buck bedding area….a great spot to pickup a shed.

After you’ve followed one trail back from field edge to bedding area, and thoroughly covered that area, come back to the field and take another trail. Keep cycling through until you’ve covered all the trails coming into the fields and the bedding areas they connect.

Fence and Creek Crossings

Along these travel routes keep an eye out for creek crossings and places where the deer are jumping over a fence. A good number of sheds are dropped when the deer jar them loose crossing over fences. Too, they can get hung up going under the fence just as easy. Walking fence lines, regardless of proximity to food and bedding areas will yield increased odds of finding an antler.

Rubs

As with late season sparring, bucks will still occasionally rub a tree or bush during this time of year, and sometimes they’ll pop off an antler doing it. As you’re combing the timber and the edges of food sources, keep an eye out for rubs. Look on the ground around the base of the rubbed trees, but keep in mind that sometimes it can be hanging as well.

Best of Luck

Thanks for reading, and best of luck this shed season. Please heart this article so it will be visible to more people.

Chuck Johnson is a Certified Land Specialist with Mossy Oak Properties, Licensed to sell Real Estate in Iowa.

For questions contact Chuck at: CJohnson@MossyOakProperties.com

Don’t forget to tag us with any awesome sheds you find using #WhitetailFactory on Facebook and Instagram.

If you have a request for an article on any subject relating to Whitetail Land Acquisition, Management, or Hunting, please submit it to:WhitetailFactory@gmail.com

To receive notifications of new videos and articles, sign up for our newsletter.